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What is the Anti-dumping Policy in Cryptocurrency – UseTheBitcoin

Traditional anti-dumping policies dont apply to cryptocurrencies yet. Investors face a different and potentially high-risk threat in the crypto world: pump-and-dump scams. These scams involve scammers artificially inflating a cryptos price and quickly selling their holdings, crashing the price and leaving others with significant losses.

To prevent this, some projects and exchanges take creative measures. Developers might lock away a portion of the crypto, preventing a massive sell-off. Alternatively, they might gradually release tokens to founders and advisors. Exchanges can also help by monitoring suspicious trading and potentially freezing accounts involved in these scams. While theres no official anti-dumping policy in crypto, these efforts aim to create a fairer playing field for investors.

In the cryptocurrency world, pump-and-dump schemes exploit unsuspecting investors. Schemers first accumulate a large amount of a cheap, little-known coin. Then, they artificially inflate its price by spreading rumors and creating fake online buzz to drive up demand.

Fooled by the hype, new investors jump in, buying the coin at an inflated price. Once enough people are invested, the scammers cash out their holdings for a large profit, causing the price to plummet. Left holding worthless tokens, the new investors lose their money, while the perpetrators walk away rich, damaging trust in the entire crypto ecosystem.

Anti-dumping policies in crypto aim to prevent large, rapid sales (dumps) that manipulate prices and harm investors. These policies can take a few forms:

Overall, anti-dumping measures aim to create a more stable market environment that protects investors from manipulative price swings.

Here are some ways investors can avoid pump-and-dump schemes:

By following these tips, investors can be more cautious and avoid the pitfalls of pump-and-dump schemes.

The world of cryptocurrency is exciting and innovative, but it also needs the regulations and protections found in traditional financial markets. While theres no official anti-dumping policy in crypto yet, some projects and exchanges are taking creative steps to address pump-and-dump scams.

However, investors have the responsibility to be vigilant. By doing research, avoiding hype, and understanding the risks involved, you can navigate the crypto landscape more safely and make informed investment decisions. Remember, investing wisely and protecting yourself from scams is important for success in this dynamic and sometimes risky market.

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Trump’s Crypto Strategy Earns Cathie Wood’s Vote – Watcher Guru

Cryptocurrency is a major highlight of the 2024 U.S. presidential elections. Political parties have embraced the market. The former President of the U.S., Donald Trump, has time and again criticized cryptocurrencies but seems to have become a notable industry advocate. Some believe that Trumps recent interest in cryptocurrency is to win some votes. A few others are certainly impressed by him. Cathie Wood, the CEO of Ark Invest, is on Team Trump. During a recent Las Vegas conference, Wood said,

As Ive said to my children as Ive said to them, Look, I am going to vote for the person whos going to do the best for our economy. I am a voter when it comes to economics. And on that basis, Trump.

Woods latest endorsement is important, as she is a prominent figure in the industry. Her support for Trump comes at a favorable time for the former president, as it shows the rising interest of certain economic leaders. In addition, she also shed light on Trumps economic policies during his previous term. Wood quoted economist Arthur Laffer and said that the pre-COVID administration was the best in U.S. economic history.

Also Read: Donald Trump Touts Bitcoin Mining As Final Defence Against CBDC

Trump has been actively promoting the cryptocurrency industry. He started his inclination towards the market by accepting donations in cryptocurrency. In addition, Wood wasnt the only one who showed support for Trump; the Winklevoss twins, the founders of Gemini, donated $2 million worth of Bitcoin to Trumps campaign. Following this, Joe Biden, the current president, also expressed interest in the digital world.

Raphael Zagury, Swan Bitcoins Chief Investment Officer spoke about the same and said,

It started with senators talking about Bitcoin. Then we had more people talking about it. And now we have Trump coming in, which was a surprise for most people, even for some of us who had been in Bitcoin for a long time, to hear him saying the positive things that he did. For people who are very disillusioned with a lot of things that are happening in politics, this could be a very substantial change.

Also Read: Gemini Crypto Exchange Founders Donate $2M In Bitcoin To Donald Trump

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The Shift in Cryptocurrency Preferences in Latin America – Crypto News Flash

Risk warning and disclaimer: The contents of this website are intended solely for the entertainment and information of readers and do not provide investment advice or a recommendation within the context of the Securities Trading Act. The content of this website solely reflects the subjective and personal opinion of the authors. Readers are requested to form their own opinions on the contents of this website and to seek professional and independent advice before making concrete investment decisions. The information found on this site does not contain any information or messages, but is intended solely for information and personal use. None of the information shown constitutes an offer to buy or sell futures contracts, securities, options, CFDs, other derivatives or cryptocurrencies. Any opinions provided, including e-mails, live chat, SMS or other forms of communication across social media networks do not constitute a suitable basis for an investment decision. You alone bear the risk for your investment decisions.

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Proton Drive: Encrypted automatic iPhone photo backup – BGR

Losing my iPhone or having my iPhone stolen is a nightmare of mine. I hope it never happens. Thats why I try to prepare for the eventuality of having all my data gone in an instant. I back up my iPhone routinely, and I know what I would do if it vanished.

Starting Thursday, I have another way to back up some of the iPhone data I care most about and do it in a secure way. Proton announced that its cloud storage product, Proton Drive, supports automatic, end-to-end encrypted iPhone photo backups.

Proton Drive is a good alternative to Google Drive, iCloud, Microsoft OneNote, Dropbox, and any other cloud storage service. Protons advantage over some of its rivals is that it offers end-to-end encryption for the data you store in the cloud.

Proton Drive is available as a separate app on iPhone. Thats how youll start backing up your iPhones to Protons cloud. Proton says in a blog post that it encrypts both the photos and the metadata on the device before theyre synced to the cloud. As long as you dont forget your password, youll be the only person able to access the cloud files.

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To start backing up iPhone photos to Proton Drive, youll need to download the Proton Drive app for iOS. Then, enable automatic camera uploads, let the app access your photos, and youre done. After that, Proton Drive will keep grabbing all your pictures and organize them by date and month. You can manage the photos in Proton Drive and delete the ones you dont actually want to keep.

Youll get a free Proton Drive account if you create a Proton account. This also gives you access to other apps from the Swiss developer. Mail, VPN, Calendar, and Proton Pass are part of Protons offering, in addition to Drive. Proton Pass is also one of my favorites, a password manager app I use about as much as 1Password these days.

However, the free Proton Drive account only has 5GB of cloud data, which is probably insufficient to back up your entire iPhone photo gallery. Premium plans start as low as $3.49 per month for 200GB of data, assuming you go for a two-year contract. If you choose the monthly option, youll have to pay $4.99 per month.

Meanwhile, 200GB of iCloud Plus cloud storage costs $2.99 per month. That might be a more natural way for iPhone users to back up photos. Youd also back up your entire iPhone. iCloud also offers end-to-end encryption for data backups.

Google Photos is another alternative for backing up iPhone photos, but it doesnt get end-to-end encryption like Proton Drive and iCloud.

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Winners and losers: The Instax Wide gets a long-awaited update as the EU votes on chat encryption – TrustedReviews

Its been a busy week in tech with Nvidia being named the worlds most valuable company, Nintendo announced more exciting titles coming to the Switch during its Nintendo Direct stream, and Apple ditching its Pay Later loan scheme less than a year after it was announced.

In mobile news, Motorola unveiled a new flagship phone and Oppo announced the Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G, while Lenovo showcased a tablet with a built-in JBL Bluetooth speaker.

Meanwhile, Nikon unveiled its mid-range Z6 III mirrorless camera and Fujifilm announced a minor but much-needed update to the 5-year-old Instax Mini LiPlay.

Keep reading to learn who we named our winner and loser this week.

While the Mini LiPlay refresh was certainly great news, it wasnt actually the biggest Instax update Fujifilm announced this week. On Tuesday, the company unveiled an update to its Wide line of instant cameras for the first time in 10 years.

The Instax Wide 400 is the name of the long-awaited follow-up to the Instax Wide 300, a camera that has been Fujifilms Wide film go-to since 2014.

Not only does the Wide 400 bring with it a slightly smaller, more modern design, but it also includes some useful new features.

Take the self-timer, for example, which makes it possible for everyone to squeeze into the group shots without asking a stranger to snap the photo. The self-timer allows you to choose between 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 seconds, giving you ample time to get into position and ready your pose.

The Instax Wide 400 also comes with a new strap which ties onto the side of the camera and features two small blocks that can be used to prop up the camera on any flat surface and tilt it at the perfect angle.

If youve been looking for a way to capture large instant photos with the whole gang, youll definitely want to get your hands on this Instax camera.

The EU might not be a tech company, but it has been directing some major changes in tech by mandating them in Europe, especially these last few years.

While some laws have had a largely positive effect (Apple finally adopting USB-C ports in its iPhones, for example), others could end up doing more harm than good. The most recent example of this is the Chat Control law which has drawn backlash from privacy experts worldwide.

The Chat Control law would require users of messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal and iMessage to agree to new terms and conditions that allow images and URLs in their chats to be scanned by the app to detect child sexual abuse.

As many privacy experts and some experts alike have stated, if passed this law could seriously compromise the security of chats. Not only would it undermine end-to-end encryption in messages, but it would require apps to build a backdoor that could potentially be exploited by others.

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How Chess Records and Muddy Waters invented psychedelic blues with Electric Mud – Louder

Its May 1968 and a turbulent age, with the life-changing political events of half a century still unfolding. Riots and revolution circle this third stone from the sun as war, terrorism and civil rights angst boil over. In the US, black activist Martin Luther King has been assassinated; the nations democracy will take another blow when popular senator Robert F. Kennedy follows him.

In the Ter-Mar Studio at 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, a hand-picked group of hip young musicians from the interracial, avant-garde rock collective Rotary Connection are midway through a three-week recording session, running through a contorted electric groove called Tom Cat. The sound is a prowling, prickly, funk-blues shuffle with wild tenor sax and mewling acid guitar licks laced throughout. Behind glass, at the mixing desk, is the young man driving the idea forward, 26-year-old Marshall Chess, with creative arranger Charles Stepney at his side. At the centre of the ululating jam is Chess records fading folk hero and master of the blues, Muddy Waters. A year later, and in light of the storm that will follow these sessions, Waters will rant to the press: Every time I go into Chess they put some un-blues players with me and if you change my sound, then you gonna change the whole man. But for now, Waters seems more than content, raucously throwing his lot in with the rag-tag unit that is about to tip electric blues and its native identity on its head.

But the story starts in the 1930s, with Marshalls forefathers, the Jewish Cycz family arriving in Chicago from a poverty-stricken Poland on the cusp of WWII. The Windy City is a town of industry and opportunity pretty much the Cyczs whole village has relocated here, alongside a vast black community travelling north to the prosperous hub, all the way from the destitution of Mississippi and Memphis via the Rock Island Line.

Swiftly, the family surname is Americanised to Chess, and two young brothers Lejzor and Fizsel become Leonard and Philip. Their father sets about a scrap metal business; the integration into their new neighbourhood is complete.

Its a happy home, with Mom and sister Malka too, and the lively brothers are often distracted by the sights and sounds of their new environment and its darker-skinned denizens, particularly the local gospel church with its stomping, hand-clapping, tambourine-and-piano theatre. Consequently Leonard and Phil often get the strap from Pop for missing dinner. But soon the time comes for boys to become men, and for men to make some bucks.

My father was into making money, Marshall Chess reflects today from his LA home. He came from a poor peasant village without a toilet or electricity. He saw his first toilet when they got off the boat at Southampton, England! So the Cyczs, along with the millions of black people, came to Chicago for one reason only. To make a living, buy a house, buy a car.

Leonards early endeavours included shoe salesman, milkman, and liquor store owner in a very bad black neighbourhood where the rent was cheapest, also working in his fathers scrap yard, in the heart of another black community. By the mid-1940s, the music bug-bitten brothers were proud owners of the Macomba Lounge club, providing a rough-and-ready outlet for black performers when few venues would accept their custom or talent.

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Leonard now had a family of his own, but the brothers conviction for their ever-burgeoning businesses left little time for anything else. To the young Marshall, all he wanted to do was hang out with his dad.

At the beginning, Dad worked two jobs. Then the Macomba was open all night and he would come home at five, six in the morning. Hed bring the money home from the club, and I remember hed always wear this big chrome gun, which hed put on top of the cabinet. I used to ask him, Why do you have a gun? He told me, Because when I take the money out I want everyone to see it.

Expanding the exposure of black artists they were rubbing shoulders with in this fertile setting, the brothers formed Chess Records in the early 50s, at a time when major record companies were oblivious to or fearful of promoting the sounds of the Deep South and black American dance music.

Initially selling records from the back of a Cadillac, and building up to a self-contained multiplex of an office, studios, record pressing plant and distribution warehouse all on South Michigan Avenue, Chess Records and spin-offs Checker, Argo and Cadet would put the Chicago music scene on the map as the US pop charts soon filled with the grit and groove of Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Ramsey Lewis and Etta James.

As the empire grew, Leonard would take Marshall fishing in the early mornings I think he felt so guilty about working all the time and then, aged ten, Marshall got his first big road trip, down to the Deep South to look for talent, just him and his dad. He was a workaholic and I was the oldest, the only son. The only way to be around him was to go where he went.

Before long, Marshall was using his free time to work at the Chess office. My first job was getting coffee for everyone. Then I started packing boxes for shipping records, sweeping, I learned all the jobs from the ground up. They treated me like a slave, you know (laughs). I would go there in the summers, I just loved hanging around. I knew all the artists, but they treated me like the little kid I was. People often asked what were they talking to me about? Well, I was 12 or 13 and they were always just asking me about sex, they were curious, cos the blues singers coming from the Deep South, Mississippi, Kentucky and Arkansas, they were having sex at ten years old. I liked it, you know, it wasnt a record company, it was the family business, and the artists were my friends.

Turn the clock to 1967. Marshall has spent his life exploring every nuance of running Americas foremost jazz and blues black music label, and the times they are a-changing. A shift in focus is needed to satisfy the record-buying public, who are veering away from Chess and into Motown, flower-power pop and blue-eyed soul and rock. Marshall affirms, I was definitely part of that whole psychedelic generation I grew up at the end of beatniks and the beginning of hippie. Now I wanted Chess Records to get into that white market. In 1966 I convinced my family to let me start my own label, Cadet Concept.

The family were right by his side, and they knew they could make money too.

My father and Uncle Phil were behind me. By then Id produced a lot of Chess output, I knew my way in the studio and my father always said to me, Do anything you want, dont let people tell you, just go with what you believe or youll never do anything special. Also I had the keys to the office and the studio, and in that era we werent recording a lot at night.

Cadet Concept was to be a fresh take on the Chess spec: a melting pot of new rock influences with the emotion and soul of their signature sound. Marshalls first recruits were a young arranger hed been recommended, Charles Stepney, plus Chess vocalist Minnie Ripperton, house producer and saxophonist Gene Barge and house songwriter Sidney Barnes. Three members of rock band The Proper Strangers were poached guitarist Bobby Simms, bassist Mitch Aliotta and drummer Ken Venegas. The final additions to the dream line-up were guitarist Phil Upchurch and drummer Morris Jennings. Rotary Connection were ready to plug in.

The band quickly started reworking Marshalls favourite songs by artists like Cream, Dylan, the Stones and Hendrix in a soulful, celestial and symphonic way, but still with an acid-fuzz edge for the freaks.

It translated brilliantly on their self-titled debut of 1967, and Cadet Concepts direction seemed sure to tap into the new pop consciousness seamlessly.

Marshall had assembled the best modern musicians collective around, with the talent to reinvent well-loved standards and deliver exciting new compositions. What if that band could breathe life into the old Chess catalogue, and bring a new generation of music lovers back to the blues?

Muddy Waters Marshalls friend, and Chess Records major staple for 20 years would be the first experiment with Rotarys backing, on an album titled Electric Mud.

The blues was a part of me, Id heard it my whole life, Marshall explains. When I thought up Electric Mud, it wasnt to change Muddy Waters sound. I approached it like it was a concept of making this kind of psychedelic blues album. It had never been done before, and thats what my label was all about. Muddy trusted me, so I said, I have this experiment, lets do it. It was a one-time thing, you know? Like an actor in a film.

Muddy agreed to the idea. The studio was booked and some of the young bloods from Rotary Connection augmented by session aces Pete Cosey and Roland Faulkener on guitar and Louis Satterfield on bass blended with Waters and his boogie-woogie piano sideman Otis Spann. The track-listing was drawn from Muddys best-known back catalogue, with numbers such as Mannish Boy and Im Your Hoochie Coochie Man alongside two new songs and a cover of the Rolling Stones Lets Spend The Night Together, suggested by Marshall, as Waters fans the Stones had covered I Cant Be Satisfied a couple of years earlier.

Marshall: The band all got along great and Muddy gave it his go. Some things were difficult for him, just because he wasnt used to playing with a band that he wasnt in control of. Having Otis Spann there helped a lot as they were so used to playing together. But we were all tremendously into it and thats why it came out great. Marshall laughs: Whether people liked it or not, its a great-sounding record.

And when it hit record shop shelves in October 1968, the results were instantaneous.

The album took off like a rocket ship, because by then Rotary Connection had a name, and because of the label. It sold 100,000 right away, it was the biggest Muddy Waters album to date. He was happy, we were all happy.

But it wasnt to stay that way. Unfortunately about six or eight weeks later, Rolling Stone magazine the bible of that whole movement wrote a horrible review and called it the worst blues album ever made. The radio play stopped virtually overnight, then all these blues purists got on the bandwagon. The criticism was that it wasnt a pure blues record but it was never meant to be. I was hurt, Marshall continues. I was young, I had a really big ego, and I had my label and I had my hit. Then someone calls it the worst blues album ever made. It didnt feel good.

Electric Mud was popular with new fans nevertheless, but there were mixed reports as to how the blues legend truly felt about it. Marshall is positive: He seemed to be real happy around me. We never had that conversation were he said its a piece of shit, although I heard he may have said that somewhere. But a year later we recorded the second psychedelic album, After The Rain, so why would he do that if he hated it so much?

Still, the wheels were already in motion to update the imposing catalogue of Howlin Wolf in the same way. In November 1968, the entire crew reconvened to sprinkle a gritty treasury of Wolf and Willie Dixon originals with some acid blues magic. Coaxed by the fact that Electric Mud had sold well, Wolf knuckled down but, according to Marshall: He sang it but he didnt like it It was a rough time for Wolf and he needed the money.

There were numerous problems during recording. Marshall elaborates: Wolf wasnt healthy. He did the whole album sitting down. He just wasnt into it 100 per cent either, so there were a lot of takes and a lot of overdubs. Wolf would argue at times. He didnt walk out on it, though. But you must remember that these guys were band leaders and they wanted to be in control of their whole sound, especially Wolf.

Wolfs reaction to his band mates had not been as positive as Muddys. Guitarist Pete Cosey the jazz freak with enormous hair and a navel-length beard in a plait remembers Wolf gesturing to his effects pedals and gadget boards in outrage. He said to me, Why dont you take them wah-wahs and all that other shit and go throw it in the lake on your way to the barber shop? He wiped me out with one stroke! And the mastered playback didnt go well, either. Marshall recalls, bluntly: He didnt like it. He said it was dogshit.

Wolfs low opinion was further compounded by Marshalls cover art concept which read: This is Howlin Wolfs new album. He doesnt like it. He didnt like his electric guitar at first either.

Wolf had happily played electric guitar for years, so smarted at the reference. It was marketing, says Marshall, and in that era I had to do all of that, and press, everything. I thought I was being clever. I thought he would eventually like it and he didnt.

Instead, the art seemed to put the general public off from purchasing it, too. It was a bad idea for the cover, Marshall admits, but it was a good lesson. Dont put something negative on something to try and sell it.

The people that had turned away from Electric Mud stayed away from The Howlin Wolf Album in similar numbers. But Marshall was still able to gather some national press support. I was good friends with Jann Wenner who founded Rolling Stone, with Billboard, with Creem magazine It wasnt like, We hate it and were not gonna do it, but in general the reviewers didnt like it. The blues people didnt like playing with these guys classic sounds. And I can understand that to a certain degree.

It was a hard knock, but it made the praise that the artists and that Marshall Chess himself received later for these pioneering recordings all the sweeter, with these two unique benchmarks influencing rock and pop culture to come from Captain Beefheart, Cream, Led Zep and The Faces, to the Black Keys, Dangermouse and Jay-Z.

Electric Mud and The Howlin Wolf Album are still out there, with covers bands in different countries, and they eventually became a big influence on the hip-hop and new RnB community.

One of the best feelings I had was 30 years later, Marshall gushes, when Chuck D from Public Enemy emailed me and he said, I want you to know that Electric Mud was an amazing thing and it turned me and a lot of hip-hop people on to these great artists like Muddy Waters. Those records really did do their job after all.

Originally published in Classic Rock issue 149

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The story behind the picture – Kartus – 7 – Chess.com

Hey everyone! My summer vacation is quickly approaching so perhaps there will be more stories coming soon. I hope you enjoy this one!

(small sidenote, there is no picture for this one. Yea I know it violates the literal name of this post but the pictures take a bit too much time sometimes and ehh idk if I wanna keep going with them)

I walked off, there was no need to wait for a response. I cant trust someone like that, I cant trust someone who thinks that its fine to play with my life. How will I make it to Ironforge city though? All I know is that it is quite far north, just on the edge of the mountains. Very few people have gone beyond the mountains from what Ive heard, its simply too dangerous. My best bet is probably to find a group of travellers who I can come along with. I look for some inns, thats the first place a traveller would go to. I find one that isnt just crowded with folks having a good night, and there are a few people there who look like travellers. I sit down at a table next to two gentleman who are most definitely not from this area, and order a meal. So, what now? We just need to go to the City of Colour to buy some goods, and then we can return to Ilran. Itll be dangerous to just travel with the two of us though, there will be even more bandits than usual. Yes, I want to see if we can maybe get a few folks as an escort, or at least someone who knows how to fight off some bandits. They dont need to be a seasoned warrior, even the impression of knowing how to fight will scare of most folks with bad intents. The two ate the rest of their meal in silence, as I considered my options. I could ask if perhaps they would like me to be their guard, but I dont have a physical weapon. Judging from their looks, these are two humans and from what they said I can assume that they come from some small city or castle of which from what Ive been told there are a lot around in the plains and hills around the City of Colour. Those are generally the type of folks who dont like anything that has to do with magic, and hence they could very well reject my offer. Then again, I have something to offer that they need, and this is not their home. I havent gone much farther north than this before, but I know how to fight.

Excuse me gentlemen, I have an offer you might be interested in. The two look up at me, and the first man responds with a simple Go on. I heard you were looking for someone to protect you from bandits. Im headed for Ironforge city, and I know how to fight. All I ask in return is food and water. I can promise you that no harm will come your way. I can clearly see the two hesitate. Do you have a weapon of choice? Id been expecting that question. I dont need a weapon. I would give you a demonstration, but this is not the right place for that. Not what they wanted to hear, but its the truth. Sometimes thats more important. Id like to see that demonstration. Mind coming along with us? That went surprisingly easy. I finish my meal and follow them outside, and we walk together to the outskirts of Moraese. In a quiet corner I show them some simple magic, very basic things. No Dark magic, if there is anything Ive learned its that there are quite a lot of prejudices against it. They probably suspect Im holding something back, but thats inevitable. When Im done they walk away to be able to discuss without me hearing what theyre saying. I patiently wait for them to return, and when they do I get the response I was hoping for: You only wanted food and water in return, correct? Yes. Weve got a deal. Were leaving tomorrow morning, I expect you to be back at the inn we were at so we can leave as soon as possible. My name is Niko, and my companion here is Bagor. Ill be there, you can call me Kartus. I sleep outside the city, I cant afford anything better right now. It doesnt bother me, it feels good to have a plan again. Im not sure what I want to do when I reach Ironforge city, but Ill figure that out when I get there.

The next morning we leave. Niko and Bagor both have a donkey that carries their bags, the few things that I have I just carry myself. It feels tense, and I can see why they dont fully trust me yet. I just hope that if we encounter bandits I can prove my worth, preferably without having to use any Dark magic.

Weve been travelling for two days now, we should be almost halfway there. Weve just entered a large forest, and I need to pay attention to our surroundings. If there is going to be a trap set somewhere by bandits this would be the place for it. We keep going, slower than I would like. The air feels heavy, Im not used to this kind of weather. We get even deeper into the forest, and it starts raining softly through the leaves. Then, I hear a sound. I continue walking, but I listen even more carefully. There, I hear it again. The sound of leaves, something walking through the foliage perhaps. Or someone. Wait. Stop here for a momen- Before I can finish my sentence, people jump out of the bushes on the sides of the path. When I look back I see that theyve surrounded us. There are two armed bandits ahead of us and two behind. Each of them is holding either a sword or a knife, and the weapons look sharp. Niko has seen it too, and says: Kartus, if you wanted to prove something now is the time! Im uncertain. I think I can take them, but not without using Dark magic. Its a risk Ill have to take, the alternative seems worse. One of the bandits tells us to give all of our money, or else. I take this moment to turn around and try to deal with the two bandits behind us. I use a spell to quickly throw one of them into the air, and throw some concentrated Dark magic at the other one. Its not the best option, but its the easiest. The bandit who got throw into the air gets the same treatment, and I take their swords and hand them to Niko and Bagor, who stayed just in front of me. It all happens so quickly that the first two bandits havent reacted yet, but now they come charging at us. Not much of a problem, I simply create an invisible wall like I did against the Darklings to temporarily shield us from their attacks, and then use the same spell with Dark magic to knock them unconscious. The Dark magic might leave some more damage than just knocking them unconscious, but thatll be their problem. Thatll do. They will lay here for some time, and they probably wont even remember how it got to this. We better get going again. Niko and Bagor seem somewhat perplexed, and Niko responds pretty much how I expected him to. That was Dark magic! How- Yes, thats a very good observation. You should be glad that Im on your side and that I dont require much. But- No, I dont want to hear it. We made an agreement, and if youre looking to break that agreement you could very well end like them. I say, pointing at the folks laying on the ground.

To be continued

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Brain power: Alston teaches chess to help seniors stay mentally active – The Daily Advance

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Brain power: Alston teaches chess to help seniors stay mentally active - The Daily Advance

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Madrid: Surez wins main event, Oro’s IM title hunt falls just short – Chess News | ChessBase

Surez outscores Rozman

The Closed A tournament in Madrid saw famed streamer Levy Rozman becoming the sole leader at the halfway mark after kicking off the event with 3 wins and 2 draws. Also known as Gotham Chess, the US representative ended the tournament with 3 draws and a critical loss against eventual champion Julio Surez. It was still a remarkable showing by Rozman, who had not played a single official tournament in 2 years.

As reported by Federico Marn, tournament winner Julio Surez is not a professional chess player, since he is now focused on studying Mathematics.

Third place went to Spanish FM Dani Tabuenca, who collected 5 points and finished the event with a better tiebreak score than his compatriot IM Diego Macas, who also scored 5/9.

Julio Surez defeated Levy Rozman with the white pieces in the penultimate round | Photo: chess.com / Federico Marn

The Closed B tournament featured 3 GMs, 4 IMs and 3 FMs, with 10-year-old Faustino Oro from Argentina a special guest in Spains capital. The prodigious boy from Buenos Aires needed to score 5/9 points (or +2) to become the youngest International Master in history. The youngster collected 8 draws and 1 win for a final 5/9 score, falling just short of breaking the record for now, Abhimanyu Mishra continues to be the youngest IM in history.

Oros performance was nonetheless outstanding, as he entered the event as the 8th seed, and showed great maturity throughout the nine rounds. As reported by Infobae, the Messi of chess will get a last chance of getting the record at the Cerrado IM Barcelona, set to take place on June 25-30. Oro will be the third seed in a 10-player round-robin.

Navigating the Ruy Lopez Vol.1-3

The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest openings which continues to enjoy high popularity from club level to the absolute world top. In this video series, American super GM Fabiano Caruana, talking to IM Oliver Reeh, presents a complete repertoire for White.

Only a half point above Oro, Venezuelan FM Pedro Martnez and US IM Eric Rosen tied for first place with 5 points each. Martnez was declared the tournament winner on tiebreak criteria. Perhaps more importantly, the 5/9 performance granted Martnez his final IM norm, six years after he had obtained his previous norm. Living in Spain, the tournament winner teaches chess to blind players for ONCE (Spanish National Organization for the Blind).

Pedro Martnez playing white against Faustino Oro (draw) | Photo: chess.com / Federico Marn

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Madrid: Surez wins main event, Oro's IM title hunt falls just short - Chess News | ChessBase

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God, Marxism, and the Fall of the West | Ayaan Hirsi Ali – The Daily Wire

The Jordan B. Peterson PodcastJun 20, 2024

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson sits down with author and activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali. They discuss the subversion of the West, how the pursuit of truth has become the ownership of it, the corruptive nature of the oppressor/oppressed power narrative, the importance of Christian ideals, and why a push for restoration is more necessary than ever before.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a Fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, a Senior Fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at The Harvard Kennedy School, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and the bestselling author of Infidel (2007) and Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now (2015). Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Hirsi Ali strove to live as a devout Muslim during her early life, but in 1992, fled to the Netherlands to escape a forced marriage. She became a citizen and went on to study at the University of Leiden. From 2003 to 2006, Hirsi Ali served as an elected member of the Dutch parliament and then moved to the U.S., where she founded the AHA Foundation to protect and defend the rights of women from harmful traditional practices. In 2024, Hirsi Ali founded Restorationbulletin.com, where she explores the forces of subversion plaguing Western society.

- Links -

For Ayaan Hirsi Ali:

On X https://twitter.com/Ayaan?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Restoration Bulletin https://www.restorationbulletin.com/

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God, Marxism, and the Fall of the West | Ayaan Hirsi Ali - The Daily Wire

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